Topic: Optoma HD27HDR vs Benq HT3050 vs ViewSonic PX747-4k

I have a dedicated 10' x 18' media room (no windows) with 7 recliners (3 in front and 4 in back on a 8" riser) with a custom built 100 inch fixed (Carl's FlexiWhite from Amazon) screen and I'm wanting to upgrade to one of these 3 projectors. I've owned Epson's in the past, long before 1080p and was quite satisfied with the picture quality at the time since that's where the tech was. I sold it years ago to help pay for rent. But I digress...I currently have a beyond subpar 1080p Walmart projector that goes by the name of Onn in the media room. Its enough to say that its does the job of broadcasting a picture but that's about where the flare ends. Wifey has given me the green light to upgrade, thus the reason for this post. I've read several reviews about these 3 projectors and I'm torn on which way to go. I'm not much of a gamer but I dabble once every blue moon. Me and the family are more movie buffs and sports fans. I will say for the price and the specs I'm leaning more towards the Optoma HD27HDR but I'm open to other recommended projectors as well. I want a quality projector for under $1000.

The Optoma is a well reviewed unit. While I'm partial to the BenQ HT2050a, I think that Optoma and BenQ have both been delivering quality products. I expect both models will perform similarly and they will be very good entry level models.

You have almost ZERO placement flexibility with these models, so you have to get them in the right location.

You may also want to consider the Epson 3100 which has a lot of zoom range and good lens shift, if you want greater flexibility in your installation and inexpensive replacement lamps over the years.

From major manufacturers, with 1080p projectors, it's hard to get a bad model anymore. The one kick for most Optoma projectors is that they tend to use a 2x color wheel which can be bothersome for those who suffer from rainbow effect issues. Not sure the specifics of the color wheel used. It does list it as 6 segments, but it includes a clear segment to boost light output, which reduces color saturation significantly. Hence, the serious drop from 2,800 'max' lumens to '900' calibrated lumens.

So, the BenQ HT2050a is a brighter projector when calibrated than this model, even though the Optoma claims greater light output.

The Epson blows them both away, which is nice if you want to go to a larger screen at some point.

Be aware that 100" diagonal is typical screen size for a 8' to 10' viewing distance. It is not as common for further distances. Most viewers these days use 10" to 12" of diagonal for each foot of viewing distance. Especially with 4K sources and projectors, they are going up in size for greater immersion. So, keep that in mind as a future potential upgrade.

AV Integrated - Theater, whole house audio, and technology consultation during the build and installation process in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

I've also been researching this segment, as I'm looking to replace my 10 year old Mitsubishi HC1500. One of my requirements is a quiet sound level, as the projector will be right over the seating area, and there is only a 7 ft. ceiling, so not much distance between the PJ and viewers ears. Everything I've read about the ViewSonic projectors indicates that they are rather noisy, and the same goes for the Epson LCD models. The less expensive Epson LCD projectors also suffer from weaker black levels and contrast compared to similarly priced DLP projectors. This led me to the other two on your list, as the only two on mine. Sadly there aren't many real world reports on the HD27HDR. I suspect due in part to its relative newness to the market. There are many good things written about the HT2050A. The only real comparison I've been able to find are the two reviews written here about them. They at least were written by the same reviewer, but the two aren't compared directly in a single review. Looking at the numbers posted in the reviews, the HD27HDR seems to have a slight edge over the HT2050A, but without a direct comparison, it's difficult to say. The review of the HD27HDR seems to indicate that it's pretty quiet, however in a couple of consumer reviews I've read, some color-wheel squeal is noted, which is disconcerting. I'm going to keep looking for info/opinions here and elsewhere before I hang one of these two in my media room.